


Roots

by AngelDustApocalypse



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Depression, Everyone Has Problems and A Lot Of Them, Gender Dysphoria, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Magic, Rating May Change, Shane is Bad at Feelings (Stardew Valley), Slow-ish burn, Something involving a chosen one idk, lots of swearing, probably add tags later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-02-15
Packaged: 2021-03-17 12:07:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29100009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelDustApocalypse/pseuds/AngelDustApocalypse
Summary: so put down your roots,I'll plant this fallow field of mine with you.Elis and his adoptive sister are new in the Valley, having come to spruce up Greenvale Farm for sale later on. The cozy little hamlet is very different from the big city they're used to, but they've adapted well so far. Will they go through with the sale when the time comes, or will they put down their roots in the Valley? And just what is it about the strange, grumpy man in the saloon that Elis can't stop thinking about?
Relationships: Shane (Stardew Valley)/Original Male Character(s), Shane/Male Player (Stardew Valley)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Roots

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! My first bit of SDV writing, though I've been into the game since 1.0! Hopefully you enjoy it, and our OCs. Nicole belongs to @NoctuaFoxglove on here/tumblr, as well.

They had been in the Valley for a few months now, and spring was almost over; the air was warming up, the days lengthening. Elis was used to summer in the city - sweltering and close-packed to hundreds of other people, the tiny air conditioner unit in their apartment rumbling as it strained to filter the air. Blazing concrete and barely a shade tree in sight. 

But out here… He didn’t mind the growing heat as much, even if their tiny cabin didn’t have an air conditioner. The trees cradled the edges of the little farm, and the cliffs that divided it up cast heavy shade while they worked. _And_ the forest and the small lake beyond the southern end of the farm were good places to escape if it got too bad later on. But he was sure it wouldn’t be too bad, since they lived on the coast, now. 

He bundled up another bunch of kale, setting it gently in the basket next to him to take down into town later in the afternoon. He’d been getting quite a hang of this growing crops thing, if he were permitted to toot his own horn so to speak. The kale and potatoes had been pretty easy, and were good staple crops both for selling and for what to keep for themselves. His sister had been trying her hand with the packet of cauliflower seeds that the wife of the general store owner had slipped her for helping with… something involving their daughter, and the temperamental vegetable had been a chore, but they had produced pretty well. Overall, the little nest-egg they had brought with them had stretched out pretty well. Maybe they would stay a little longer than the two years originally planned.

Maybe.

He hadn’t known his grandfather all that well, if he had to be honest. Sure, when he was little, he had sat on his knee and listened to him talk about plants and animals, but as he grew, the family came to visit the old farm less and less. So inheriting it had been an enormous surprise. But… He did suppose he was the oldest grandchild, his cousins still too young to have part-time jobs, let alone run a farm. So, the plan had been to come out, spruce the place up and cultivate the soil a bit to get it going again, then try and find a buyer. It’d help kickstart both his and Nicole’s careers, once they… decided what exactly to do with themselves. 

Nicole had been sort of into the sciences but had been having trouble picking exactly what best suited her, while he himself had been a little interested in botany, so… being out here was probably helping with that, if nothing else. Hands-on experience, right?

He used the handle of the scythe in his hand to help himself get to his feet, leaning on it a little as he looked over his freshly harvested veggie patch. It’d be getting too warm for most of these plants soon, so it’d be time to clear them out and compost anything left over for the next crop. Lots of work, but at least he wasn’t alone. 

He picked up the basket and hooked the long wicker handle over his shoulder, adjusting the bunches of kale inside it. This had been a good harvest, minimal pests and no major bird problems. This particular cultivar had been a good choice, growing fast and strong in the rich earth here, and what he kept for himself would be great to have for salads, which made up the majority of his diet, even back in the city. 

Time to head into town with his harvest. The general store should be open now, and the owner was always excited to get their produce for the shelves. He didn’t spent too much time in town, he had to admit, but they’d been very busy with the farm for their first season here. It had been very tiring, getting used to the work they’d have to do, so he’d often find himself basically collapsing on the creaky bench in the cabin at one in the afternoon some days. But he’d been getting better and better as time marched on, and he was starting to get muscles in his arms! It was kind of exciting. 

The path into town was pretty long, winding through a section of woods that was cut through with a black ribbon of road on one side, though the asphalt strip soon turned away and vanished in the distance, looping around the town like a moat. Not like many cars passed by anyway, but the creaky old bus sometimes made trips to and from the city. They’d arrived on that same bus in the first few warm days of spring, with only what they could fit into their duffle bags and 500$ all together in their savings, unsure they’d last a week. But… here they were.

The trees around him filtered the golden sunlight of early afternoon onto the rough cobbles underfoot, dancing patches of light and shadow that shifted with the wind. That breeze brought with it the scent of rich earth and greenery, the distant smell of a campfire somewhere in the hills. A squirrel darted across the path a dozen feet ahead, barely paying the little farmer much mind. Birds and insects chattered happily in the trees and bushes. The symphony of nature all around him, and it made his heart swell, made him want to stay here forever. But they had bigger plans than staying in a tiny little hamlet their whole lives… right?

He picked a stray dandelion as he walked, tucking it behind his ear as he stepped out of the forest and into Pelican Town. It was barely a town, really, mostly a collection of little rustic buildings clustered around a cobble square, like one of those tiny settler’s villages they’d get dragged to in school. It was pretty… cute, for lack of a better word. Just enough for everyone to get by and live their lives, one of several miniature settlements dotting the valley. Maybe in the future they’d grow larger, join together to form a city, but… he sort of liked it like this. It was different.

Well, as long as you ignored the glistening blue Jojamart perched on a nearby hill like a gargoyle. He tried not to look at it if he could help it. He’d been in there once, and it had made him uncomfortable, and Nicole refused to set foot in it. It had bad energy, or something. He was inclined to agree. 

He quickly pulled his eyes away from the boxy hilltop watcher and turned into the general store. A wooden sign swung from the green awning overhead, “Pierre’s” written on it in a delicate script. The bulletin board out front was stuck with slips of paper and a calendar of events, including - strangely, at least to him - a list of the birthdays of everyone who lived there. When the town is small enough you could get everyone in the same building at once if you tried, he supposed that made sense. Get to know your neighbours, or something. He pushed open the door, and a bell jangled merrily overhead.

“Farmer Elis!” came the warm, fatherly voice of Pierre, leaning on the counter at the far side of the shop. Elis waved, picking through the close-packed aisles of staples and knick-nacks both to come put his basket on the counter. Pierre peered over his glasses at the bushy green leaves almost spilling out from the wicker with a smile on his face. “These look great. High quality, I can probably pay a bit more for them this time. You’re getting better.”

“You think so...? I’ve been reading some old almanacs from the library, I wonder if that’s helping…” Elis replied, tone a little bashful. Being complimented still flustered him, his freckle-dotted cheeks going a gentle pink. “And Nicole finally got the internet hooked up in the cabin, so she’s been looking at tips online, too. It took _so_ long for the truck to get out here to install the antennae, he got lost like three times.”

“Ah, yeah. The big city companies tend to have trouble with little towns like this one. You should hear Abby when there’s problems with our connection and we have to call them in. Girl’s like a wildcat,” the shopkeeper said with a hearty chuckle. Elis had met Abigail a couple times, and… yeah, that sounded like her. 

Elis watched quietly as Pierre examined each bundle from the basket and set it aside, using a pad of legal paper to add up the sell price from a manifest he had taken out of a drawer, calculating how much he owed the farmer. It was a decent chunk of cash, enough for them to be set on supplies for summer, and maybe a little extra for a nice night out for once. He’d been in the saloon enough to know the food was good, but not really enough to make a habit of eating there. Nicole had made friends with the woman who worked there, Emily, at least.

“Thanks,” he said softly as Pierre handed him the envelope. It felt heavy in his hand, like he knew the weight of his labour was paying off. He tucked it in his hip bag, cheeks warm as he smiled at the shopkeeper, who beamed back.

“No problem. The fresh produce has been a real hit, and it’s nice to see a local being so successful.”

A local… Was he considered a local, now? He ran a hand through his hair, feeling it stick up a little in places but not going to fix it yet. Why was that so exciting? _Local…_

“Heh… I’m doing my best. You’ll get my highest quality produce, promise!”

“I’ll hold you to that, Elis,” Pierre chuckled, scooping up the bunches of kale in his arms to go put in the displays. “Have a good day, it’s supposed to be pretty warm this afternoon. Enjoy it for me, okay?”

“Can do!” he chirped, maybe a little too high pitched for his own liking, but… nobody’s noticed yet. With another wave, the little farmer scampered outside once more, trailed by the jingle of the bell as the door shut behind him. 

Maybe he should make a bit more effort to come out to town more often. He’d missed the Egg Festival and the Flower Dance, feeling pretty bad about it after, but… he hadn’t really thought he had _belonged_ , then. Maybe he’d put some more effort into coming to the Luau that the mayor had told him was in the summer. That seemed like a good idea. 

He stretched out his arms, adjusted his now-empty basket, and looked around at the square, ringed with its little buildings. The general store stood behind him, of course, and next to that was the narrow, tall building of the clinic, though he hadn’t been inside yet. He’d seen the doctor once or twice, a strikingly tall, nervous-looking man with an old-fashioned air about him. Nicole had been in and out of there a little, pretty prone to small injuries while working on the farm, it seemed. 

A few houses clustered around the square and the little offshoot streets, all painted in fancifully different styles that were pretty refreshing. He was used to all the homes back in the city looking pretty much the same. He could also catch a little glimpse of the river from here, beyond which stood the library-slash-museum, and the little blacksmith. The saloon stood across the square, the elaborate sign bearing its name (the Stardrop) in narrow script. His walk had taken a little while, so it was early afternoon, so it should be open about now.

While he was standing there and musing over the town, though, he hadn’t really realized he had been standing almost directly in front of the general store’s door. At least, not until a gruff, baritone voice grumbled from directly in front of him, almost making him jump a foot in the air and produce a frankly embarrassing squeak. The voice’s owner snorted a humourless little laugh.

“Hey, farm boy. You’re blockin’ the door. I don’t got all day,” the voice grunted. 

Said voice seemed to belong to a man Elis hadn’t seen too much around town. He was pretty short, only a couple inches taller than the diminutive farmer himself, though fairly thickset, with stocky legs and a bit of a beer gut. He looked like he’d just rolled out of bed a few minutes ago, deep purple hair ruffled and face shadowed with stubble, and the raccoon eyes really didn’t help matters much. But, under the obvious lack of self care and the tatty blue Joja sweatshirt was the vestige of a square, solid, maybe what some would call good-looking face.

It was kind of hard to focus on that when said face’s owner was scowling at him like that, though.

“Hey, can you even hear me? You deaf or something? Marnie is gonna have my ass if I don’t bring her a bag of flour, buddy.”

“Oh… Sorry, I was just… Thinking,” Elis muttered, stepping aside and face hot up to the ears. _Way to go, Elis, you made somebody mad at you already today._ The man snorted again, but slapped his big, rough-fingered hand on Elis’s shoulder as he passed by him to shove the door open with a jangle.

“Thinking too much is bad for you, kid,” he muttered as he disappeared. Was that… a joke? It was _really_ hard to tell. Weird. 

And just like that, he was gone, leaving Elis with a pink face, a strange mix of emotions, and the scent of hay and stale beer lingering in the air. Nobody else had been so… gruff with him, it reminded him a bit of people back in the city, always in a hurry and never wanting to talk. Very weird. 

He tried to shake the strange little encounter with the grumpy bear of a man out of his head, heading off to the saloon for a quick lunch. Another bell jangled when he stepped inside here, too, though this one was more like a little set of wind chimes. The dark wood and brick building quickly enveloped him in the smell of homemade food and beer, a heady, homey combination that immediately made his stomach growl. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast after he woke up, he released now. Good thing he was here now, then…

He picked out a stool at the bar, gently placing his basket down on the floor and leaning forward on his elbows to read the chalkboard posted on the wall behind the door that displayed the menu and daily specials. Parsnip soup today, huh..? That sounded nice. He waited until Emily made her way over to him, that big smile on her face like always. He liked her, even if Nicole knew her better.

“Hey, farmer Elis!” The blue-haired woman chirped happily, swaying gently where she stood, like she was just on the verge of breaking into dance at any given moment. “What can I get you today?”

“I’ll have the special, please. And a glass of water, it’s pretty warm today… gotta hydrate, you know?”

She chuckled, writing the order down on a pad and tearing the paper off to go give to Gus at the back of the bar. She quickly returned, since there wasn’t really anyone else in the saloon quite yet at this hour. Maybe some small talk would be nice, anyway.

“So, what have you been up to, today? Your energy seems a little frazzled,” she opened with. He didn’t really question what that meant, instead smiling a little crookedly. Was he that easy to read?

“Oh, I just brought some produce to Pierre, is all. Harvested my kale today. It turned out really nice,” he said softly, hooking a finger in the collar of his t-shirt and worrying it around the digit a little. 

“Anything else? That can’t be what has you so pink, hm?”

Yeah, he _is_ that easy to read, then. He sighs.

“Oh, I guess I just… Met someone weird today. He was kinda… Growly at me. Kinda chubby, purple hair, blue coat…?”

“Oh! That’s just Shane… Don’t worry about him, he’s not that bad under all the prickles, I swear. He’s here a lot, if you wanted to formally meet him.”

“Shane…” he tried out the name a little, liking the way it felt to say. Some names were just like that, easy on the tongue. “Maybe I will. I don’t have much else to do, today. We don’t want to plant anything new until the heat steadies out a bit. I saw some pepper seeds at Pierre’s, Nicole loves those so I might get some later…”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Emily said, cryptically. Elis wasn’t sure what to make of her tone, but brushed it off as nothing. Maybe she liked peppers too, or something. She stood up straight when Gus called for her to come get the food, though, gracefully gliding off to fetch it and bring it back. It smelled really nice…

* * *

Late that evening, Elis stood in their little cabin, some of his clothes spread out on the kitchen table. He wasn’t sure why he was so… worried about this, but here he was. Nicole was sitting in a chair across the table from him, a mug held in both hands as she leaned on the flat surface, her brown eyes searching his green ones. 

“You seem wound up.”

“It’s my first time going to the saloon when there’ll be a lot of other people there… I have to make sure… You know…”

“You pass fine, Elis. I don’t think anyone here even knows that… Y’know, people like you, exist, except for maybe Abigail and her friends. And I get the feeling they wouldn’t care much…”

Elis let out a breath he had been holding while she spoke, shrinking down a little as he turned over the t-shirt he had spread out on the top of the stack. Not like he owned much in the way of clothes right now, anyway. No use fretting over it.

“Did you want to come…?”

“Probably shouldn’t… It’s usually pretty loud on Saturdays. Not as much as Fridays, but still. I have to measure out a place for Robin to start building the chicken coop, anyway. She sent me the dimensions this morning. Have to rope it off for her.”

“Ah, alright… I’ll bring you back some dinner, then. Don’t work too hard, okay? Don’t need to spend even more time at the clinic than you already do,” Elis teased, though he crooked an eyebrow when her coppery face tinted slightly darker at the cheeks. Hmm.

He tugged the shirt on over his head finally, making sure the compression shirt underneath was pulled down all the way. Looking good. Looking handsome. Don’t be nervous. Not like anything important is going to happen because of this.


	2. Wind & Anchor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Boy, I'll sweep you off your feet_   
>  _When I am there to stay_   
>  _And I'll be yours to keep_   
>  _All you'll never have to say_

The saloon felt like a very different place when there were more people there. More energetic, just a little. He knew fridays were more busy, but this was pretty good, too. He wasn’t as shy as Nicole, but even he needed to warm up to new people. So, he wandered on in around 6 PM, delicately choosing a stool near the corner of the bar, close to the fireplace. 

The scruffy man - Shane, Emily had said - was there already. He was half-slumped on the brick on the side of the fireplace, staring down into a mug in his hand.He looked about the same as when Elis had first seen him, bedhead and raccoon eyes and all, and it made him wonder if the man even owned a hairbrush. There were even some puffs of white on his sweater, probably the flour he had mentioned when they first met. If you could count that as a real meeting. Elis kept stealing glances back at him as Emily came and went, bringing him a glass of mead he could nurse through the night. What a strange person.

He must have been caught looking at some point, though, as soon enough those night-dark eyes turned on him, a flash of something almost pained in them for a split second, before hardening into a tired annoyance. But Elis caught it. Very weird.

“You want somethin’, farm boy?” the man grunted, voice more gravelly than it had been last time. It reminded Elis a bit of the edge Nicole’s voice took on after she had been crying. 

“My name’s Elis,” he offered, voice more meek than he had been intending.

“...Okay. You want somethin’, farm boy Elis?” He huffed out in reply.

“I, uh… I just wanted to apologize for earlier today… I didn’t mean to get in your way.”

Shane stared at him over the rim of his mug like he was looking at an instruction manual written in a forgein language. He kept that look up for a couple seconds, then turned his black eyes into the amber liquid he had been drinking.

“...Whatever. It’s not a big deal, farm boy Elis,” he muttered, tipping the mug up to his lips and taking the longest draw from it Elis had ever seen. Most of the mug was empty by the time he lowered it again.

“...So, do you… come here a lot?” Elis ventured. Shane gave him that  _ look _ again, thick eyebrows crumpling in toward the centre of his face. He made a noise that was probably supposed to be a laugh.

“Wow, I can  _ tell _ you’re new. Yeah. Yeah I do. Not like there’s anything else to do in this roach motel of a town,” he practically growled, that gravelly tone back in his voice. Elis shrunk back a little, but didn’t look away from those dark, pink-rimmed eyes.

“...It’s not that bad, I kinda… kinda like it here..” Elis half-muttered, not really sure what to say. 

“Well, aren’t you just a little ray of sunshine,” Shane countered, but he didn’t really sound like his heart was in the sarcastic insult. 

There was something going on here. Elis had to find out what. He had to. Maybe it was foolish, but he could never live with himself if he didn’t help people as much as he could, ever since he was a child. He swallowed the little lump growing in his throat and eyed Shane up a bit more, green eyes wide and soft. The other man wasn’t looking at him anymore, instead focusing his gaze on a knot in the hardwood floor.

He didn’t look like he wanted to talk anymore, so Elis turned back to the cup in his hands for now, looking down into it with a thoughtful expression. Emily wandered over to check on him about then, and he got a… funny idea. Maybe he could make the strange, dark-eyed man’s night a bit brighter. He lowered his voice and leaned in toward her, who immediately clued in, tilting her head down to listen to him speak.

“Hey, I want to pay for a beer for Shane… Here, keep the change,” he said softly, sliding a few bills over the counter. Emily nodded her head and scooped the money up with a sly little smile on her lips, swirling away with her usual candor to fetch the requested drink without question.

Elis couldn’t help but peek over his shoulder when Emily slid a new mug toward the corner of the bar Shane had parked himself near, whistling a little bit of birdsong to get his attention. Those dark eyes flicked from the foamy mug, to Emily’s face, then back, brows furrowed slightly.

“You’re more psychic than normal today, huh…? I didn’t-”

Emily cut him off with a dramatic wink, holding out one hand to take the now-empty mug from him before he scooped up the new one. 

“This one’s paid for already. A gift,” she said cheerily, sweeping off before he could reply.

He looked almost like someone had just slapped him as he watched her walk away, eyes wide and mouth open just slightly. Like he couldn’t fathom someone buying something _ for him _ . Something about that made Elis’s heart ache, and he had to turn back to his own drink to stave it off. 

He downed the rest of it pretty quickly, feeling pleasantly warm in the extremities and head just a tiny bit heavy. Not enough to make walking home difficult, but enough to make him a bit sleepy. He waved Emily down again to order some dinner to take home for Nicole, ending up with a paper bag containing a styrofoam container of parsnip soup, and a little box of biscuits. Time to head out.

Before he left, though, he risked another look at Shane, still slumped with his shoulder against the bricks and staring down into his gifted beer like it was going to bubble out of the mug and bite his face. The other man caught the movement of Elis getting up out of the corner of his eye, though, and looked up with a slightly puzzled expression.

Elis, in turn, gave a tiny smile and a casual wave, before turning to leave the saloon. Shane watched him leave like he’d just seen Yoba themself manifest in the little bar right before his eyes.

* * *

It was dusk when Elis made it to the forest proper, taking the longer, looping route through the town and into the deeper woods. Sure, the sun was still up, but it had sunk so low behind the mountains in the west that it was casting the rest of the valley in long shadows. The trees here were taller than the path from the farm to town, old pines swaying in the breeze and nurturing a bed of needles on the forest floor. He was careful to pick around the dirt path carefully, avoiding roots and rocks that cropped up here and there, stepping over the occasional animal burrow. 

He could see the thin plume of smoke from the ranch that was their neighbour between the trees, which reminded him that they’d need to head down there to get some chickens once the coop was finished. He found himself a little caught up in just watching the thin grey ribbon crawl upwards, into the darkening sky before dissipating. Maybe he was a little more tipsy than he had thought.

Back on track. The path would wide around the ranch here, the ground getting more rocky as he drew closer to the cliffs that rose over the farm, the slope gradually increasing. It was almost a hike at this point, but not really intensive enough to really bother him, even with his tingling extremities and warm, heavy head. Just a little more, and--

_ Bokk.  _

...Wait, what? Elis squinted in the growing dusk for the source of the noise, and… his vision finally resolved itself on a little puff of creamy white in the middle of the path, scratching away at the dirt. Was that a… chicken? Must have got out from the ranch… Maybe he should grab it for them, so a hawk or bear or something doesn’t make a quick meal of the poor thing.

“Hey sweetheart…  _ Tkk tkk _ , come here, pretty hen…” he crooned, creeping closer carefully.

The hen lifted her fluffy head, stared at him with one curious eye… and then took off at a startling speed into the bushes. Elis yelped, before rushing after the little farm animal, quickly as his slender legs could carry him. The bushes scraped at his bare legs and he silently cursed the fact he basically always wore shorts. He really hoped there weren’t ticks out here.

After a few minutes of crashing through the bushes and beginning to maybe rethink this decision, Elis stumbled out past a crooked pine tree and into a clearing. The chicken was standing there, looking back at him and motionless. It was darker than the rest of the forest here, somehow, and the trees almost seemed to bend inward, as if sheltering the little clearing from prying eyes. 

The most obvious feature, though, and what Elis soon found his eyes trailing over, was a tall stone tower, reaching up almost as tall as some of the ancient trees in this part of the wood. It was crooked, like it was about to fall over any second, but was held aloft no matter how gravity felt about it. Vines and moss clung to the irregularly-shaped stones that made up the walls, filling in cracks with green and gold and dripping with tiny purple flowers here and there. 

A creak overhead made Elis look up, to where a telescope extended out of a hole in the thatched roof, a dull, polished brass that glistened in the dying sunlight. It swayed very slightly with the wind so high up, producing the noise. He got so caught up in staring at it he nearly jumped out of his skin (again! This kept happening) when someone spoke nearby.

“Ah, it was about time you ended up out here.”

Elis stared over at the tower, where a narrow door had apparently opened silently to let out a tall man in a very strange outfit. His brilliant purple hair was bushy and unkempt, and his dark robe and hat were clung to with dabs of pollen, stray leaves, and loose flower petals. It was like this very strange man was part of the woods around them, made manifest.

“Wh... ? What? Who…?” Elis sputtered eloquently. 

“I am called Rasmodius, but that isn’t terribly important to know or remember, Elis. I have been eagerly awaiting the time you came upon my tower. It’s good to meet you finally, the spirits of the Valley have been unable to keep your name off their tongues.”

“Spirits…? What are you talking about…?”

“This Valley… Is a special place, young Elis. The leylines cross it just the right way that the gnosis they channel pools in the soil and plants, filling it with vitality. The spirits of animals and people feel drawn to such a sacred place. But there has been a dark curse cast over the Valley some time ago, that causes this energy to stagnate here and there. This is where you come in.”

“Me…?” He wasn’t sure what it was about this man, but he felt rooted to the spot. This all sounded like utter nonsense, but… This situation was so unusual, so out of the ordinary… maybe it  _ could _ be true? Or at least worth listening to.

“Yes, you, Elis. The Nexus Child the spirits whisper about. The one with connection to all the things that grow in the earth. Keep looking all over the valley for your destiny. I have a gift for you, as well.”

Elis stared as the man swept closer, withdrawing a hand from under his flowing robe and holding out a small, perfectly round seed. Elis shakily held out his own hand, and the man gently placed it in his palm. Elis closed his fingers around the strange thing, and it felt warm, just slightly. 

"Plant this in the earth, where she can stretch her roots deep. This will be your true test."

The strange man looked down at Elis with an expression he couldn't read, but he almost could swear there was a hint of a smile at the corners of his mouth. For what reason, he couldn't be sure.

“You should head home. I imagine your sister is missing you by now. And don’t forget your chicken. It would be good to keep her safe, for her owner’s sake.”

“...Right, okay. Yeah…”

"I will be watching you, young Elis. We will meet again… good evening."

Elis watched the man vanish back inside the tower, slipping the strange seed into his shorts pocket and shakily making his way over to scoop the chicken into his arms, shouldering the bag with Nicole’s dinner in it gently to make room. The bird was staying very still, probably just as freaked out as he was.

“...let’s get you back to the ranch, okay?”

* * *

The ranch owner, Marnie, had been pretty relived to see Elis with the chicken when he had knocked on her door, gushing over him and taking the bird into her arms. She had even insisted on giving him a dozen eggs for returning the animal (named Charlie, she had told him), which seemed like a bit much to him, but he couldn’t turn the sweet woman down.

But now, he was on his way home with the food and now the eggs, hoping it was still warm. He’d need to patch up the scrapes on his legs, and check himself for ticks. And maybe try and look up what kind of plant this seed belonged to

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmmmmm, tasty plot!


	3. Like Ships Need the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _My grandfather told me that real men don't cry,_   
>  _But I saw your tears in the moonlight._   
>  _That's when I knew that my grandfather lied,_   
>  _And darling I need you like birds need the sky._

“...And then, the weird guy dressed like a wizard gave you a weird seed none of the sites I looked at have ever heard of.”

“Yeah.”

“And now you’re going to plant it on our farm.”

“Right.”

“Directly in front of our house, where anyone who visits will see the weird plant it grows into.”

“Mmhm.”

“Elis, it could be a cannabis plant! Or some other illegal thing! Or something that’s been smuggled in from Gotoro! We could get in trouble…”

Elis stopped where he had been digging a hole with a trowel and turned his head around to stare at Nicole, who was still sitting on the front steps of the cabin’s porch. He stared at her like she’d grown an extra head, and she smiled sheepishly.

“Nicole, you’ve seen what a weed plant’s seeds look like before, and it’s not this. It’s fine. I don’t think some random seed is going to be anything super illegal. It probably won’t even grow, who knows what the conditions it’s supposed to get are. I’m just guessing.”

Elis gently placed the seed at the bottom of the hole after testing its depth with his hand (it came up to his wrist, that should do it), then piled the displaced dirt back over it, packing it lightly. He picked up the watering can next to him and tipped a bit of it over the lump of dirt until it was just moist. Hopefully everything was okay for it to grow, he had no idea what sort of sun exposure, soil acidity, or watering it needed. He looked over at Nicole, who hadn’t said anything quite yet. She looked a little bashful. He sighed.

“Let’s go for a walk today. There’s a grassy area on the ridge around the town I wouldn’t mind exploring it a little. There was an abandoned building up there I think,” he said gently. “And while we’re there we can see if Pierre has like, mouse traps or something. I don’t like hurting them, but I’ve been seeing little footprints in the shed. I don’t want mice getting into the seed stores.”

“...Yeah, that sounds good. I’ve been cooped up here for a few days now, getting into town will be nice,” Nicole said softly. She got up from her sitting position on the steps, dusting off the overalls she had on, having been busy getting the irrigation system checked up that morning.

* * *

Pierre’s hadn’t had mouse traps, but he _did_ have rat poison, and Elis had been rather mortified at the thought, so they just had to tough it out, he supposed. None of the seeds had been gotten into yet, anyway. The storage boxes _were_ pretty sturdy. 

The stairs up to the fountain square and playground were carved from solid rock, with wooden railings installed to assist in climbing. The steps were pretty worn, but not dangerous. Elis took them two at a time, Nicole trailing after him nervously, a glass bottle of all-natural cane sugar cola from the general store clutched in her hand. He waited at the top for her, rocking from toe to heel on his feet gently, hands in his shorts pockets.

“It’s up here, there are some trees around it. A bit of a ways past the fountain,” he chirped, an easy smile on his freckle-strewn face. Nicole offered him one in return, but it looked a bit less sure. Poking around in weird abandoned buildings probably wasn’t really her idea of fun.

Sure enough, past a small copse of mountain ash trees, was a shabby, overgrown building that had probably once been quite stately and nice. Creeper vines had long since overtaken the wooden walls, and the planter boxes under the windows had grown over with wildflowers and weeds; many of the places still exposed were caked in moss and lichens. The clock above the door was frozen at twenty-five past twelve, and the door hung so slightly ajar that Elis would have never noticed it if he wasn’t directly looking. 

“Are you sure this is safe?”

“Not really. But the town is right there, so one of us can run to the clinic if we get hurt,” he replied cheerily. He wasn’t looking, but Nicole’s cheeks darkened slightly at a mention of the clinic.

The hinges on the door were pretty rusty, so it took a bit of pulling, but he got the door open enough for them to slip inside without getting scraped up or anything. 

Inside was just as run down as the outside, it seemed, with weeds starting to break through the cracks in the floor and crawling in from little holes in the walls and cracked windows. It was shadowed, with pools of light provided by the dirty windows and the now-opened door illuminating the motes of dust that floated lazily in the air.

“Huh… doesn’t look too bad,” Elis said softly, taking his phone out of his pocket to use its flashlight. Nicole stood a bit closer to him than normal, her drink still clutched in her hand.

Sweeping the beam over the darkened parts of the building, it fell over the halls that led to other rooms, and, in a shadowy corner, a very strange little plant. Focusing the light on it, it looked almost like a squat little bush with a thick tangle of roots making up most of the trunk, though a gap in the front made it eerily resemble a leafy hut.

“I’ve never seen a plant like that before,” Nicole said quietly at his elbow.

“I wonder if people have been hanging out in here? Could be someone’s art project.”

“Maybe…” She didn’t sound very sure.

Down one of the hallways, then. Elis kept his steps careful and slow, testing the boards before putting his full weight on them, but they felt sturdy. Didn’t seem like there was much of a basement on this place, anyway, really. His wandering led him and Nicole to a few empty, run-down rooms that must have been used as a pantry and communal kitchen at some point, and another, larger one with a mossy carpet that only really seemed to house a few loose pieces of wood and a collapsed set of shelves.

Elis swept the beam of his flashlight over the walls here, too, but stilled when the light reflected off something. There, on the walls, were a series of strange glyphs that shimmered a pale gold when the light hit them, symbols he didn’t recognise but some part of his instantly knew the meaning of. He heard Nicole produce a sound of confusion at his back, but didn’t react.

“... _The curse laid on this Valley will only be lifted when the vine born of the forest bears perfect fruit,_ ” he read out loud, slowly lowering the flashlight so the beam was pointed at the floor.

“What?”

“That’s what it says.”

“You can... Read that? It just looks like squiggles, Elis… Are you okay?”

He didn’t answer right away, instead turning this over in his head. The… Wizard was the only thing his mind could conjure up to describe the man, had mentioned a curse, hadn’t he? And then he gave him a seed. _Bears perfect fruit…_ When the plant fruits, then? That didn’t seem hard… but he’d called it a test. There had to be something missing here. This stuff was so weird, it was making his head hurt. Too much going on to parse all of it at once.

“Elis?”

“Yeah…?”

“Maybe we should go. This is weird.”

“...Good idea,” was all he could think to say, turning to stumble out of the building again.

As they made their way out, he swore he saw a cluster of small, round, slender-limbed _things_ peering out from the strange hut-plant, but when he turned to look again, there was nothing there. Mice. Must be mice. Nothing more.

Right?

* * *

A light rain had whipped up in the evening, misting over the forest and the farm with swirling droplets that pattered on leaves and the shingles on the roof. The grey clouds rolling in covered up the setting sun, though fingers of light would peek through here and there as it sunk away, glittering Jacob’s ladders sending pale rainbows scattering in the distance.

A walk in the rain seemed like what Elis needed to help smooth out the twisted knots of his mind. The weirdness of the last two days had wound him up pretty badly in a weird way. So, into the woods he went, his brown wool poncho pulled around him to stave off the droplets. Still the shorts, though; his jeans were in the wash. It was half-dark now, so he had his hip bag with him, a flashlight, his phone, and a bear bell and spray inside. Nicole had insisted on the latter.

He spent some time just wandering around in the calm, darkening woods, occasionally stopping and bending down to examine a particular plant or stone. He picked up another dandelion for his hair along the path, tucking it gently behind his ear just like the one yesterday. He liked the little golden flowers, really, even if generally people saw them mostly as weeds. They had strength and character, in his opinion, clinging on tenaciously in even the toughest places. They’d been everywhere in the city, and he had very briefly made a habit of photographing all the interesting places he’d found them. Finding a splash of colour in a bleak place was always a joy.

He was pretty sure he was close to the small lake, now, the patter of raindrops on water just barely audible through the trees. It was pretty much full dark by now, the sun since set away behind the mountains, the clouds covering the dark sky overhead. He slowly rounded an impressively large yew tree, and the lake came into view, glassy surface rippling where raindrops fell and making the reflection of the forest around dance and wobble. A dock stretched out into the water, unused by boats or anything these days from the look of things, the wood wet and creaky…

It took him a second to notice a shape at the very end of the dock, dark and slumped slightly. But once he took a good look, there was someone sitting there. Someone in a ratty blue sweater, with short-cropped dark hair…

_Shane?_

Elis stood at the shore near the place the dock began, wondering if he should approach or not. The other man was just staring down into the water, his legs danging over the edge of the wooden planks and feet in the water, his shoes set next to him. A six pack of beer cans with three missing out of the plastic ring was just slightly behind him. His shoulders were slumped, head hanging low. 

Elis took a step onto the dock, then another. The wood creaked under his feet, alerting Shane to the presence of another; he lifted his head maybe a little too quickly, swaying slightly where he sat as he dragged his sleeve across his face before looking over his shoulder, dark eyes wide. The moon broke through the cloud cover, then, casting pale light over the both of them. Raindrops still misted down on them and the silent trees, making everything glisten slightly in the silver illumination. 

Elis couldn’t help notice how much those deep, night-black eyes shone, though. Neither of them could blame that on the rain.

“What do you want,” Shane croaked, that gravelly quality thick in his deep voice.

“...I was out for a walk,” Elis replied, tone soft, gentle. 

The two looked at each other for what felt like ages, Shane’s obsidian eyes almost unreadable. Then, he sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve, turning away to look at the water again. Elis was about to turn to leave, when the other man spoke, voice low and heavy with some dark, unknown emotion.

“...You can sit with me, if you want. It’s a nice night.”

Elis hesitated, then stepped closer, the dock creaking the only sound aside from the patter of the rain as he approached. He took his boots and socks off, setting them aside before carefully sitting next to the other man, dipping his feet in the water. It was cool, but not cold. Shane popped another can off the six-pack next to him, holding it in the young farmer’s direction without looking at him. He took it, just holding it in his hands for now.

They sat like that for a while, Shane rocking his feet in the water, and Elis cradling the can in his hands like a breakable glass figurine. Elis watched the ripples that each of their movements made, Shane’s wake broad while his own left only tiny resonances. He got so caught up staring at the water, he didn’t even notice that the other man had turned his inky eyes toward him, only noticing when Shane spoke finally, making Elis jump (again!) a little where he sat.

“...Not much of a drinker?”

“Not really… Not beer, anyway.”

“Probably for the best. Don’t start, okay?”

Elis just nodded, not questioning the statement. His brows furrowed slightly, just taking in the other man’s appearance. He looked pretty haggard right now, heavy bags under his eyes and hair tousled and a little greasy. The stubble on his chin was dark and rough; he didn’t seem to shave often. He was avoiding direct eye contact.

They fell back into the gentle silence for another few minutes, the both of them looking out over the dark water, the trees ringing the lake like dark sentinels. The soft rustle of leather wings and dark shapes flitting by heralded a small collection of bats on their way by, which made Elis smile and Shane produce a small snort in what sounded like surprise. 

Shane broke the silence again, this time managing to not startle the jumpy farmer. His voice was low and gravelly again, thick like something was wedged in his throat. It made Elis want to touch him, ask what was wrong, but he knew better than to pry. Some people didn’t like that, they wanted to open up on their own terms. He got the feeling that’s what the strange, dark-eyed man was like.

“...You ever feel like… no matter what you do, you’re gonna fail?”

Elis swallowed, looking back over at Shane but not speaking yet.

“Like… you’re stuck in some miserable abyss, and you’re so deep you can’t even see the light of day?”

Elis’s chest hurt. He could see the moon reflected in wet trails on the other man’s face, in those obsidian eyes, and it _hurt_ in a way he didn’t know what to do with. He opened his mouth to speak, to offer some sort of commiseration, but all that came out was him croaking the other man’s name, the sound lilting up at the end like a question. It didn’t seem to distract the ranch-hand, though, who kept talking like he couldn’t stop now; the floodgate was open and there was no shutting it.

“I just… feel like no matter how _fucking_ hard I try, I… I’m not strong enough to climb out of that hole. Buh… And here I am, dumping my… my shit on you, huh? You barely fucking know me, and I just gotta drag you down into it, too. …Sorry,” he trailed off, saying the word like it was sharp and unpleasant on his tongue. 

“No, I, I understand… It’s okay. I’ll… listen, if you need to talk,” Elis finally managed to mumble, setting the beer can in his hand down on the dock.

Shane’s reply was a sound that was probably supposed to be casual dismissal, but it sort of dissolved into something choked and trembling. Elis didn’t push it, instead just watching and waiting for him to continue. It seemed like he needed this.

“...Marnie told me you found Charlie last night,” he finally said, voice a bit more level. “She’d been.. Missing, for a little bit. Got out after I left for the Saloon, I guess. I’m a fucking idiot, must not have… closed the coop properly, I dunno. Look at me, farmer boy. She’s basically helpless out there, she’s… fucking _relying_ on me, and I’m too busy running off to drink myself stupid to make sure she’s okay.”

Elis got the feeling he was talking about more than a chicken, but there was context missing. File that way for later, maybe.

“But I guess, what I’m trying to… trying to say, is… thanks. For bringing her back.”

“I’m just glad she’s okay. Sounds like she… means a lot to you,” Elis said gently, finally getting brave enough to reach out and touch Shane’s arm. He felt the older man flinch slightly under his hand, but he didn’t pull away.

“...Yeah. She’s… My favourite, I guess. Raised her from being a chick, she hatched the day I… came to Pelican Town. So Marnie let me take care of her.”

“You really like chickens, sounds like... We were going to be getting a coop built soon, if you had any advice, maybe…”

It took a moment, but one corner of Shane’s mouth crooked up, then the other, into a crooked little smile, but a smile nonetheless. Elis knew immediately that he had to see this again, see that little lopsided smile on this strange, sad man’s face. It made his chest ache again, but in a different way he wasn’t able to put words to.

“...Maybe if I’m around at the ranch, yeah.”

The rain around them had eased up, the clouds parting overhead to reveal a spray of stars and the fat orb of the moon, reflecting silver light onto the perfect, smooth surface of the little lake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think.


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